Everyday Injustice Podcast Episode 327: Prof. Doleac on the Science of Second Chances

About this episode

Economist Jennifer Doleac discusses evidence-based approaches to criminal justice reform and the importance of measuring outcomes.

In a wide-ranging conversation on Everyday Injustice, economist and policy researcher Jennifer Doleac argued that criminal justice reform should be driven less by ideology and more by evidence. Discussing her book The Science of Second Chances, Doleac said policymakers often adopt programs that sound compassionate or politically attractive without testing whether they reduce crime, improve lives or save money. Her central message was direct: governments should be willing to try new ideas, measure outcomes honestly and “fail fast” when programs do not work. Doleac, now with Arnold Ventures, explained how economists use natural experiments to study policies that cannot ethically be tested through randomized trials. She pointed to research showing that increasing the certainty of being caught can deter crime more effectively than simply increasing sentence lengths. Using state expansions of DNA databases as one example, she said evidence suggests stronger detection tools may reduce repeat offending more than long prison terms, which she described as costly and often less effective once people age out of crime. The interview also explored reforms that have fallen short. Doleac said…

People in this episode

Guest: Jennifer Doleac

Topics covered

• criminal justice reform
• evidence-based policy
• economics
• second chances
• hiring policies

Keywords

• natural experiments
• DNA databases
• ban the box
• clean slate laws

Mentioned in this episode

Products: The Science of Second Chances

Books & works: Everyday Injustice, the Science of Second Chances

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